CES Parents-does it get better?

[Anonymous]

New CES parent here too and I feel similarly, especially about homework. My kid actually loves her main teacher who does the writing program, but her math teacher, who is also the other “official” CES teacher, is turning class into a real struggle. My daughter tells me she’s the most strict/stern teacher she has, she doesn’t let kids go to the bathroom during class ever, “yells” a lot, etc. She told the kids and parents at the beginning of the year that there would be no math homework unless they didn’t finish during class. But we were getting it several times a week already (and my daughter said they are rarely given enough time to finish and *all* the kids had to take work home), and just this week we learned there will now be daily math homework, and the kids were told in class that if it wasn’t done they’d be held in from recess to do it!

It’s tears every day over school in our house and I hate it too.

[Anonymous]

I'm worried about my DC leaving his nice little group of friends, which he didn't want to, as well for the magnet program. I agree to stick it out through Q1 as the school suggested. But what would you say is a good indication that it's better he return to his home school?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

Not so. This year’s fifth grade was the first class to be admitted by lottery. The previous class - now in 6th - took the shortened COGAT before Covid hit.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

I think I just rolled my eyes so hard they fell out of my head.

[Anonymous]

It sets them up to be successful in middle school because they’re used to managing their workload.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

Not so. This year’s fifth grade was the first class to be admitted by lottery. The previous class - now in 6th - took the shortened COGAT before Covid hit.

This year’s sixth graders were not part of the CES lottery. It was the year after they started that CES changed to a lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

I think I just rolled my eyes so hard they fell out of my head.

Lol .. is this related to the preschool teacher who said she’d never seen someone with so bright in all her 7 years of teaching? Indeed try not to let random comments that may or may not be true give you a big head

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

You are completely incorrect. I currently have a kid at a Regional CES and have an 8th grader who went through the same CES a few years ago.

This year, the kids who got in did not have to take the CoGat.

The caliber of kids is much different this year than even a few years ago. Still bright kids, but definitely more kids who are struggling versus before.

[Anonymous]

Curious which CES your kid is at OP? Mine is at Oak View and the homework has been minimal so far -- a page or two of math each night and that's it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

Not so. This year’s fifth grade was the first class to be admitted by lottery. The previous class - now in 6th - took the shortened COGAT before Covid hit.

This year’s sixth graders were not part of the CES lottery. It was the year after they started that CES changed to a lottery.

I have a current 7th grader who was in CES via lottery. No Cogat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

Not so. This year’s fifth grade was the first class to be admitted by lottery. The previous class - now in 6th - took the shortened COGAT before Covid hit.

This year’s sixth graders were not part of the CES lottery. It was the year after they started that CES changed to a lottery.

I have a current 7th grader who was in CES via lottery. No Cogat.

That was not lottery. Yes, they stopped using CoGat, but it was based on MAP scores and the final candidates were selected based on criteria, not lottery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I might get blasted for this. This post is not directed at the OP, but the new CES class in general.
I was worried that students would have this problem this year because mcps chose to pick student based on “lottery” methods instead of true merit methods, so the resulting picked students might find the curriculum difficult because they dont “belong” in the program/it’s not a right fit for them. In turn, the program is watered down which eventually leads to a lack of proper magnet education. Which I guess is mcps goal all along. Just my 2 cents.

Pfft. CES has been doing it by lottery for a few years now. My 6th grader was in CES for 4th and 5th -- she loved it and her class was one of the strongest cohorts her teacher had seen in his 30 years of teaching at a CES.

Not so. This year’s fifth grade was the first class to be admitted by lottery. The previous class - now in 6th - took the shortened COGAT before Covid hit.

This year’s sixth graders were not part of the CES lottery. It was the year after they started that CES changed to a lottery.

I have a current 7th grader who was in CES via lottery. No Cogat.

That was not lottery. Yes, they stopped using CoGat, but it was based on MAP scores and the final candidates were selected based on criteria, not lottery.[/quote

So much misinformation here. The current sixth graders took a condensed Cogat test in third grade. I have my kid’s results. MCPS also based admission on MAP scores. The Cogat test occurred in January 2020 before Covid hit. With virtual learning 2020-21, MCPS could not offer the Cogat and moved to a lottery. Even though kids were in person last year, MCPS has apparently abandoned the Cogat and continued for a second year to use a lottery. No surprises that kids are struggling.

[Anonymous]

One of my kids was an amazing student and is truly bright, and went there. They were not challenged at all. There was no homework. (Really, no homeowork for kids who were supposed to be challenged MORE than regular school.) I didn't think much of it but actually in retrospect, and comparing it to 4th/5th grade for my other DC, it was pretty good. Not Harvard for pretty good. If your DD is really into school, she should stay. If she's not, as another PP said, she doesn't belong there anyway.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Curious which CES your kid is at OP? Mine is at Oak View and the homework has been minimal so far -- a page or two of math each night and that's it.

My kid at Drew gets Math every night plus independent reading (nbd, normal for her anyway), assigned reading + vocab words and this week had to sketch and detail the steps of a Rube Goldberg machine.